[Study of incidence of COVID-19 in Spain and its relationship to geographical province distribution]. / Estudio de la incidencia de COVID-19 en España y su relación geográfica provincial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine incidence of COVID-19 in relationship to geographical distribution among Spain. METHOD: Cluster analysis taking into consideration the incidence of COVID-19 in the provinces and autonomous cities of Spain in each of the first six waves of the pandemic. RESULTS: All the provinces of the Canary Islands, Catalonia and Andalusia form independent clusters. In Comunidad Valenciana, Galicia, País Vasco and Aragón two out of three provinces (three out of four in Galicia) were in the same cluster, with no other provinces. DISCUSSION: The incidence of COVID-19 in Spain in the first six waves forms clusters that reproduce the territorial division of Spain into autonomous communities. Although this could be explained by greater mobility within a community, it cannot be ruled out that this distribution is due to differences in screening, diagnosis, registration or reporting of COVID-19 cases.